With break time over, Ovince St. Preux focused on Strikeforce Challengers 17

http://mmajunkie.comStrikeforce light heavyweight Ovince St. Preux is among those who think Tito Ortiz has got a good shot at a good showing against Rashad Evans at UFC 133.

Sure, Ortiz is basically fighting twice in a month. But the first fight, which took place at UFC 132, was a one-rounder, and there’s a big difference between that and going to a decision.

St. Preux (10-4 MMA, 4-0 SF) should know; he fought and won three times in seven weeks, and every fight went to the scorecards. Now fighting Joe Cason (9-1 MMA, 0-0 SF) this Friday at Strikeforce Challengers 17, he knows the value of a good rest.

Strikeforce Challengers 17 takes place at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, and its main card airs on Showtime (11 p.m. ET/PT).

While his marathon session may have brought him more attention than any stretch of his fight career – all of his fights were televised on Strikeforce’s premium-cable partner – it took a heavy toll on his system.

At no time was that more evident to him than during the third fight, which took place in January at Strikeforce Challengers 13. His inner-monologue was literally telling him, “Time for a break.”

“I was trying to motivate myself during the fight,” St. Preux recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). “I had a hard time pushing myself.”

He managed to get through fight No. 3 with a decision win over Ron “Abongo” Humphrey. But afterward, he listened to himself and drew the line.

“It was one of those situations where that zone that I had, I never turned it off,” St. Preux said. “It was there for seven weeks, and after that, I just got exhausted.”

Eventually, he came back to the land of the living and was ready to fight. It took longer than the three to four months that he planned, but after the busy stretch, he couldn’t be too choosy.

Cason, St. Preux’s opponent, has already fought twice this year and has been tearing through the competition. He’s ended all of his fights in the first round, and eight of nine of his wins have come by way of stoppage due to strikes. It figures; he’s a student of kickboxing great Duke Roufus.

St. Preux’s background in college football has given him a strong base in taking down opponents and punishing them. In fact, that’s just what he did to his trio of victims this past year: Antwain Britt, Benji Radach and Humphrey. So you could say he’s picking up right where he left off.

“My goal is to just keep doing what I’m doing,” he said. “I think I’ve got a pretty good start right now. At the end of 2011, I don’t know. I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing and be patient, and don’t worry about anything else. Just focus on the fight this Friday, and after that fight, I’ll look toward the future.”

If that future involves another busy stint, he’ll definitely think twice about jumping in feet first. On the other hand, though, he’s a fighter. All bets are off.

“I tell myself I won’t ever do it again, but at the same time, I know if the opportunity is presented … I’ll do it again,” St. Preux said.

MMAjunkie.com Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by Gorgeous George, MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Goze. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

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